The Secret Wireless

In the miniseries "Hatfields and McCoys" we are presented with two starkly different views of God.  The story is a dramatic retelling of the post-Civil War feud between two rival families.  [I know nothing of the actual historical account.  My knowledge of this feud comes entirely from the TV miniseries.] On one side of the feud is Randall McCoy and his clan.  Randall feels that he has been cheated by the Hatfield family.  In fact he seems incapable of perceiving anything but slights from them.  Even gracious peace offerings are turned upside down and seen as insults. Randall attends church weekly with his family, and he begins the story with a firm confidence that God, who is just, will pour out his wrath on the Hatfields for their wicked ways. "Devil" Anse Hatfield, on the other hand, begins the story as an atheist.  He cares nothing for God or religion, and only attends Sunday services to please his wife.  After his initial attempt...

If you have only seen the movie you are missing a big piece of the picture. The Princess Bride by William Goldman was famously transformed into a film directed by Rob Reiner in 1987.  The movie is a favorite of many for its delightful combination of romance, chivalry, adventure, fantasy, and humor.  What many do not know is that the book is even better. Goldman's book claims to be an abridged "good parts version" of an earlier work of fictional author S. Morgenstern.  Goldman states, over the course of a 27 page prologue, that his retelling is what his father used to read to him as a boy, leaving out all the boring stuff about politics, economics, and history, while delighting him with the story of true love and high adventure.  One cannot help but smile when you realize that this is precisely the part of the book you are going to skip over the next time you read it. The actual story is, obviously, far more detailed than the movie version....